As for Birmingham, well there’s a club that could still be in some turmoil after getting rid of manager Garry Monk this week.

Gary Rowett and Garry Monk last season... now both are out of work (Image: Steve Bould)

Yes, if pre-season has gone well and the manager has got the team he wants on the pitch playing his way, we might well find ourselves in and around the top spots come the end of those six games.

As for next season’s realistic ambitions, for me they don’t stretch any further than a top-six finish.

If we are talking about finishing in the top two, then I’m afraid we are probably talking about the end of the season after, in two years from now, because he will probably need three or four transfer windows to truly crack it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d take promotion from the play-offs if you offered it right now, but I would much prefer automatic promotion.

Finishing in the top two gives you a rock solid base to work from when it comes to strengthening for the Premier League - and obviously staying in the Premier League. "

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